01 Oct 2000

cultxpt@primenet.com (Jeff Jacobsen)

Tonight we picketed the bank building on Cleveland and Ft. Harrison from about 6:30-7:30pm. There were 4 of us with 2 videocameras. Cleveland street was closed because of the arts festival from 9 to 5pm both Saturday and Sunday.

Hans came out almost instantly to handle us, which makes me assume he works out of the bank building. For a while 2 guys stood on the steps of the bank building, apparently to protect it in case we decided to storm the doors. Antonio videotaped and another guy I had seen before kept in touch with somebody on his cell phone.

Since Cleveland is closed Co$ can't drive their buses up to the cafeteria doors, so it looked like what they were doing was dropping people off behind the Coachman Building and then they would either walk through the Coachman Building or go through the alley right next to it. They tried to time the troops to cross Cleveland street while none of us were near Watterson Street (where the cafeteria entrance is). Finally us picketers just stood near Watterson so the Scientologists had no choice but to walk past our signs. We did not talk to the Scientologists but just let our signs do the talking. One of the stripe cops was practically right next to us as the Scientologists went by.

Otherwise it was a reasonably uneventful picket.

I had been to the arts festival in the late morning. It was reasonably attended and there was some nice stuff for sale. One guy was even demonstrating and selling sitars! $400.

When a Scientology staffer used a syringe to force a mixture of aspirin, Benadryl and orange juice into McPherson's throat while others held her down, it was "spiritual sustenance," the church argues.